Ghotour Valley Bridge

Completed in 1970 by American Bridge, the Ghotour Valley Bridge project consisted of the fabrication and erection of a double chord deck arch railroad bridge in a remote location in northwestern Iran. The bridge spans an overall length of 443 meters (1,453 feet), with a pin-to-pin dimension of 223 meters (732 feet). The deck is situated 119 meters (390 feet) above the river. The 3,315 tons (3,655 tons) of structural steel were fabricated at American Bridge’s Ambridge shops and transported to the site via sea and rail. American Bridge also handled all temporary works engineering, including the design and installation of a specially crafted cableway system. The cableway was anchored directly in the hillside above the bridge on one side, and by a fixed tower with a transverse traveler at the other end. Additionally, tieback of the uncompleted arch was achieved using 57mm (2¼”) cables anchored to rock, traveling across the bridge deck.